CMS Unveils New Guidance For Providers Who Seek Payment For Treating Medicare Patients With COVID-19
- August 19, 2020
FierceHealthcare (8/18, King) reports beginning in September, “providers that want to get Medicare payments for treating a patient with COVID-19 must include a positive test in that patient’s medical record.” CMS unveiled “new guidance late Monday that aims to update how providers get paid for treating COVID-19 starting on Sept. 1. The impetus for the new change is to combat fraud, the agency said.” According to the guidance, “The test must be performed either during the hospital admission or prior to the hospital admission.”
Healthcare Finance News (8/18, Morse) reports the guidance indicates that if the “patient has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and needs to be admitted to a hospital, the payment to the hospital is increased by 20% to reflect the additional costs of treating a patient with COVID-19.”
Inside Health Policy (8/18, Cirruzzo, Subscription Publication) also reports.